A Category 5 Texas Hurricane: Where landfall would be worst

John Boyd, Houston Chronicle

Updated 10:50 am, Friday, June 6, 2014

Photo: Stocktrek Images, Getty Images

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A so-called Category 5 "100 Year Hurricane" hasn't hit Texas since the storm that almost destroyed Galveston in 1900. If one were to hit Texas, here are the landfall locations where the resulting damage would cause the biggest losses in terms of insurance industry payouts. less

A so-called Category 5 "100 Year Hurricane" hasn't hit Texas since the storm that almost destroyed Galveston in 1900. If one were to hit Texas, here are the landfall locations where the resulting damage would ... more

The worst-case scenario for a 100-year hurricane on the Texas coast is a Category 5 storm which make impact on the northern end of Galveston. (Source: "The 100 Year Hurricane," Karen Clark & Company risk assessment) less

The worst-case scenario for a 100-year hurricane on the Texas coast is a Category 5 storm which make impact on the northern end of Galveston. (Source: "The 100 Year Hurricane," Karen Clark & Company risk ... more

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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The worst case scenario for a 100-year hurricane for much of the Gulf would be a Category 5 storm that pushed through the Florida panhandle on its way to a second landfall near New Orleans.

The ruins of the Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, Texas, after the category 4 Hurricane which struck on 8th September 1900. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The ruins of the Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, Texas, after the category 4 Hurricane which struck on 8th September 1900. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Photo: FPG, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American boy, sitting on debris in the wake of the 1900 hurricane, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American boy, sitting on debris in the wake of the 1900 hurricane, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American men carrying body on stretcher, surrounded by wreckage of the hurricane and flood, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American men carrying body on stretcher, surrounded by wreckage of the hurricane and flood, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: Two African American women search through rubble following a violent hurricane which devastated most of Galveston and took more than 5,000 lives. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: Two African American women search through rubble following a violent hurricane which devastated most of Galveston and took more than 5,000 lives. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images) less

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm. ... more

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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View down 22nd Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

View down 22nd Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Galveston residents try to rebuild in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Galveston residents try to rebuild in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A house on Avenue N sits on its side in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A house on Avenue N sits on its side in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Workers try to clean up debris in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Workers try to clean up debris in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A disaster relief crew sorts through the hurricane's wreckage in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A disaster relief crew sorts through the hurricane's wreckage in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A dredge boat was left three miles in shore in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A dredge boat was left three miles in shore in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A temporary homeless shelter is set up in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A temporary homeless shelter is set up in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Many Galveston residents decided to leave the city permanently in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Many Galveston residents decided to leave the city permanently in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A look out into the gulf in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A look out into the gulf in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Fifty-one were killed at Lucas Terrace during the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Fifty-one were killed at Lucas Terrace during the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Looking north on 19th Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Looking north on 19th Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A public school sits destroyed in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A public school sits destroyed in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Sacred Heart in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Sacred Heart in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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St. Patrick's in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

St. Patrick's in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Waves Caprice in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Waves Caprice in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A wrecked school in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A wrecked school in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A Category 5 Texas Hurricane: Where landfall would be worst

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For Texas weather watchers lulled to sleep by a hurricane-free 2013 and another quiet prediction for 2014, the lesson of Hurricane Andrew should be heeded.

It just takes one.

Andrew became the third costliest hurricane on record when it made landfall in Florida during what had otherwise been a relatively quiet 1992 hurricane season.

Texas may due for its own Andrew, according to the insurance risk management group Karen Clark & Company.

The group found that the state hasn't eperienced what it calls a "100 Year Hurricane" since the 1900 storm nearly wiped out Galveston.

Were a Category 5 storm to make landfall in Texas' sweet spot, the losses could be devastating.

Check out the photos above to see the landfall points where a Category 5 "100 Year Storm" would cause the largest losses.

(Note: A "100 Year Hurricane" is defined by Karen Clark & Company as the most intense hurricane that has at least a one percent chance occuring in a given region. For Texas, a 100 Year Hurricane is a storm with sustained windspeeds of at least 155 mph.)